Widescreen Gaming Forum

I've had a quick run through a couple of manufacturers' sites, and there are 4 screens I came up with:

The Philips 240S1CS
Looks pretty nice, but I can't find out the panel type and it seems to be playing hard-to-get. No idea what it would cost me. The 178º viewing angle does suggest IPS though. As for availability, a local office supply shop might just be able to get it for me. They're not cheap though (but a good shop).

Eizo S2433W
One of four displays that came out of Eizo's product selector. This one's the least ridiculously priced of those - Alternate sells it for €899. Rather expensive still, but then, it's an Eizo. Has a PVA panel. Better than IPS? Same? Avoid?

NEC MultiSync® LCD2490WUXi²
An IPS with less gamut (75% AdobeRGB), which might save me some trouble on that part. Will probably run me €800-900 though, so it's still very expensive. Can't seem to find it for sale quickly either.

Dell Ultrasharp U2410
It just has it all, doesn't it? IPS, huge gamut, vast array of connectors, USB, ergonomics, good (discrete) looks and a good price to boot: should have this for less than €700.


So... is there actually a reason why I should not get the Dell Ultrasharp U2410?
Did I forget important displays in my consideration?

Just go with the Dell. IF it has the tint issue, return it and try again.

Tint issue?

Edit: oh, this looks bad...
http://en.community.dell.com/forums/p/19297120/19586199.aspx?PageIndex=8

I'd really rather pay a bit more than enter a lottery... colour issues are not acceptable.

And after a day of consideration I have decided the following for the time being:

If I'm going to be spending large amounts of money anyway, I should be getting what I've really wanted for a longer time and not save €100-200 and get something that leaves me wanting in one way or another. I know I will never truly accept looking at the Dell logo in front of me, good as the screen may turn out to be. It just won't give me the 'feel' I want, much like the way I prefer Ati over nVidia. One isn't particularly better than the other, but there's something untouchable that makes my preference.
So the question is, what do I really want? What have I been wanting for years now? My very own Eizo, that's what. I've been drooling at those things ever since I knew about them.

I hope that explains myself a bit.
So out of the above, that would bring me to the Eizo S2433W. A real Eizo, and really only a few hundred € more than the Dell (I have this nasty habit of thinking relatively, i.e. €150 - €200 is a greater difference than €700 - €900). It lacks hardware calibration, but panels that do have this feature are really pushing it too far with the price; we're talking >€1500 here.


The only thing that worries me is the wide gamut. Will it be a hindrance? Or can it easily be overcome, by for example keeping my current display for web colour proofing? Or can the display itself handle this, hmm... I'll have to check on that. I'd prefer to save some desk space and keep it single screen. Plus my mom and dad have their eyes set on my current one it seems... :roll:


Edit: Another thing that worries me somewhat, does anyone know whether the following will be a problem:
The S2433 is 1920x1200 natively. 1920x1080 (1080p) is not explicitly mentioned in the supported resolutions list. Will this cause any problems? Or will the playback software simply run in 1920x1200 and display the black bars?

Change of plans!
I figure a true 1080p capable screen would be favourable. In addition, the following model has a few extras which may be beneficial:
Eizo FX2431

It is made specifically for BluRay and gaming, and has pretty much the same panel as the previous choice, so I shouldn't be going wrong there.
It has component connectors, which would allow me to put my Wii on the thing (with some proper 480p upscaling as well apparently) so I don't have to buy a TV just for the Wii if I ever move out into my own house. That would indeed be cost-efficient, not to mention room-efficient ;).

The main downside here would be the limited height adjustment (26mm). It doesn't have DisplayPort either, but I can live with the good ol' DVI if I have to. Also, I'm not particularly fond of the exterior design, but I could live with that as well.
And the cost... ~€1050 is hardly cheap, and reaching quite a bit over the initial budget.


If I run through the Eizo product advisor, using Photography as a base, I get this result: click. The FlexScan SX2462W is a screen I already had my eye on as an alternative. An H-IPS panel, ridiculous colour reproduction, 1080p support, DisplayPort, good height adjustment (82mm), sRGB mode and even more ridiculously priced than the FX2431, going at ~€1250. That last bit would be a downside. But the only one if you disregard console connectivity.
There's another display recommended you say? Erm yes, but that's a ColorEdge. I'd love to have one, but I'd also like to stay out of debt...


Actually, those prices do scare me :P
Perhaps I should wait a few months until I get my next extra from work (holiday cash most likely, maybe a bonus, we'll see, but that one's rather unpredictable). It'll be much easier to spend if the money just came in as an extra ;). The BluRay discs can wait... it's not like they'll be decaying over a short time. But one of them will be unavailable before long, so it's not bad to have jumped on the offer still.
Then again, I'm planning my birthday in less than two weeks. What better reason to treat myself to something awesome?
Oh, choices, choices... just a few more months... a few months of drooling at what I may soon call my own. Yes, perhaps that's the best route.


PS: I've linked to the english sites this time, for your convenience.

HP ZR24W

24", 1920x1200, IPS, and upgrade from 2475 (depending how you look at it)

_________________
P8Z68-V Pro | 2600K | HR02 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 128GB M4 + 6TB | X-Fi > HD595 | AX850 | Tai Chi | PB278Q | G110 + Deathadder 2013
P8Z77-V | 3570K | Mugen 2 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 500GB | X-750 | Fractal R3 | U2212HM | G110 + G400
P8H77-I | G860 | 4650 | 2x2GB XMS | 320GB | CX500 | Prodigy | T22B350EW | MX518
DC3217IYE | 1x4GB Vengeance | 64GB M4 | TX-42VT20E

Even though I'm not particularly fond of HP, that there is a very interesting option. Let's see now...

My requirements:

- (S)IPS panel or better - check
- Large viewing angle (if it's IPS that shouldn't be an issue) - check
- 1920x1200, 23 or 24". Specifically not 1920x1080 because it's a wrong aspect for pc gaming. However, I do realise that my choice would be very limited by this, so if there's a very good screen which just so happens to be 1920x1080, do recommend it. - check
- HDCP compliant (well obviously, since that's the very reason I need a new display) - check
- DVI, HDMI and/or DP. Does DP come with HDCP? I suppose it'll have to, being a modern connection type. DP is preferred, just because it's new and cool, but DVI will do just fine. - check
- Height adjustable. - check

Would be nice features:

- Hardware calibration. This will probably bring it to a rather high price tag though. It may however be a decisive feature if the price is good. I'd love to get rid of extra software running just to have the right colours. - fail
- Wide gamut. Although I've also read a lot about it being more trouble than it's worth. Only if it doesn't drive up the price too much please. - fail
- USB hub. - check

All requirements met for less than €500. That's less half the price of the other options I've come up with so far. It's good looking as well. The pessimist in me is dying to ask: what's the catch?

Thanks for this one, it's definately up for serious consideration now.

I've just been to the local shop and requested a quote on the ZR24w. The specialist in this area wasn't available right now, so I'll be getting a call today or Tuesday. Perhaps he'll also know of other available options I haven't seen yet.
Should have an exact price and delivery time estimate soon :)

the catch is that it is the latest tech, that is cheaper than the old.

doesn't have the U2410 green tint.

I can't see anything wrong with it apart from the gamut.

_________________
P8Z68-V Pro | 2600K | HR02 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 128GB M4 + 6TB | X-Fi > HD595 | AX850 | Tai Chi | PB278Q | G110 + Deathadder 2013
P8Z77-V | 3570K | Mugen 2 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 500GB | X-750 | Fractal R3 | U2212HM | G110 + G400
P8H77-I | G860 | 4650 | 2x2GB XMS | 320GB | CX500 | Prodigy | T22B350EW | MX518
DC3217IYE | 1x4GB Vengeance | 64GB M4 | TX-42VT20E

I ordered the ZR24w.

Got a call today from the local shop for the price and delivery estimate.
€399.
10 days.

Delivery time is not bad at all, since there seems to be quite some demand for this display.
But the price... man, that's cheaper than what I found on the internet! And I don't get shipping costs either. And warranty close by, no mail.

Happy :)

Now let's hope the thing delivers.


Might put up a review, if I can be bothered at the time of course ;). This display needs one, as they're scarce.